Etienne Capacchione
cyanotypes
Breath and Being is a series conceived through my dwindling time spent in Montreal's choral community. As I had less time to sing, the effects of deliberate, controlled breathing on mental health became increasingly evident to me. These diptychs are visualizations of the inward and outward expressions of breathing and embodied experience.
Constriction is a series that I undertook as part of my graduating portfolio at Dawson College's Professional Photography programme. It was inspired by the different ways that constrictions and restrictions are experienced—often isolating, disrupted by whispers of uncertainty and disbelief, but also borne with surprising resilience and deceptive familiarity.
The CYANOTYPE process is both historical and very current. Its roots are steeped in the logic and practice of the archive. The blue-print comes from this chemistry because of its ease of use, reproduction, and incredible chemical stability (indeed, after it fades in light, simply placing it in the dark restores the image). As far as photographic processes go, it is very affordable, the chemistry is simple, nearly non-toxic, and remarkably flexible in the mediums on which it can be made. The prints from Constriction were made on Canson XL watercolor paper from 8x10 and 4x5 film negatives with certain effects achieved through different brushing techniques when coating the paper with the light-sensitive emulsion.
The prints from Constriction were made on Canson XL watercolor paper from 8x10 and 4x5 x-ray film negatives (not x-ray photographs) with certain effects achieved through varied brushing techniques when coating the paper with the light-sensitive emulsion. *A special thank you to the late Roy Hartling for arranging a gift of Lyne Cohen's R.H. Phillips and Sons 8x10 view camera to Dawson College that I was able to borrow and to David Hopkins for gifting me the x-ray film.
The prints from Breath and Being were made on Fabriano 1264 watercolor paper from digital inkjet negatives printed on Fixxons transparency. The graphic half of the diptychs were made by hand painting over the transparency film.
About
An anacrusis is the first few unstressed notes in a musical phrase, just before the first downbeat. This is how I interpret the "decisive moment" in portraiture: you must capture the expression just before the face or body movements rest and self-consciousness set in.Etienne Capacchione is a Tiohtià:ke / Montreal-based photographer, art historian, some-time musician, and full time father. He has a passion of mobilizing his knowledge and seeks to share it through a multi-disciplinary Substack project called Camera Fabula.
potraits
Connect(er)
Questions? Comment(aires)?
